Our extra-long-term Hyundai Genesis is in need of a little extra push to reach the 100,000-mile mark. To that end, everyone here is pitching in to finish the final 38K by December 31—about two months. Follow along as we take road trips of varying necessity in an attempt to roll over that sixth odometer digit.

Trip Mileage: 555 miles

Current Odometer: 71,234 miles

Destination: Chicago, Illinois

To get to our goal of 100,000 miles, we all have to do our time behind the wheel of the long-term Hyundai Genesis. And, like many people who have done time, I decided to commemorate the event with a tattoo. (Before you ask, no, I didn’t get a big Hyundai “H” or a “Save the Manuals!” logo tramp-stamped on my lower back.)

Putting miles on the Genesis turned out to be the perfect excuse to get a traditional piece done by Nick Colella at Chicago Tattoo Company. Unfortunately for me, Ann Arbor to Chicago and back would not put me over the required-daily-mileage mark, so I had to stretch it out a bit. As an ode to the veterans who had a big hand in making tattoos what they are today, I swung by the lovely city of Toledo, Ohio, where the vets’ ride of choice, Willys Jeeps, were built. With no time to stop and trade war stories, I shot across 80/90 to Chicago.

As nice as the Genesis seats still are, I was happy to get out of the car in Chicago—if anything, the ride quality has only gotten worse during the car’s admittedly long stay. The guys at Chicago Tattoo specialize in all types of skin art, but one thing you notice when you walk into the shop is their attachment to history. The walls are covered in traditional-style flash. I knew I had come to the right place.

After a couple hours of being tortured by Nick, I got back in the Genesis to be tortured over another couple hundred miles back to Ann Arbor. At about 11 pm, I handed the keys off to Mike Austin so he could leave for his burger quest early this morning. More on that tomorrow.View Hyundai Genesis 100K or Bust – Car and Driver in a larger map